Category Archives: My TEA CUPP Prayers

Praying God’s Word.
Prayers for moms and other ladies whose days are often interrupted.
To be savored in the early morning, or sipped throughout the day.
Reading and praying God’s Word for a blessed Christian walk.
Dedicated to the glory of God.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17 (NIV)

My Jesus Always Comes to Tea

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice. Psalm 55:17 (NKJV)

Have you ever invited someone over for tea and they didn’t show up? Have you ever made a date for coffee, only to wait at the coffee shop for a missing friend? Have you ever prepared a special meal, only to have the guests call the next day to excuse their absence? Isn’t that such a disappointing experience?

A long time ago when our children were little, some friends called to say they would be passing through town. They were to arrive at dinner time, so I planned a special meal for them. With my husband at work and two toddlers at home, it was a challenge, but I pulled off a fancy meal. I even unpacked some dishes from our wedding, including the goblets these friends had given us.

As my husband returned from work and the cashew loaf cooled on the counter, I wondered if the friends had been delayed. The children became hungry and fussy, so we fed them their supper, glancing out the window each moment to see if our friends were there. To end a sad story, we ate our cold supper and went to bed wondering if our friends were okay. The next day they called to say they had a change of plans.

But God never has a change of plans. He’s always there for us, morning, noon, night, inside, outside, in the good, in the bad, whenever we need Him. His line is never busy, He always comes when we call. In fact He is there before we even cry out. Jesus always comes to TEA.

My favorite daily devotion book, Our Daily Bread, had a devotion called “Always There,” just the other day. You’ll want to read it for an extra blessing…

http://odb.org/2010/09/05/always-there/

You may also enjoy this worship song by Aaron Shust, “My Savior My God.” The chorus of this song says,

“My Savior loves, My Savior lives
My Savior’s always there for me
My God: He was, my God; He is
My God is always gonna be”

I’d like to add, “My Jesus loves, my Jesus lives, my Jesus always comes to TEA!”

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:7-10 (NKJV)

Family Reunion

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:50 (NKJV)

For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” Mark 3:35 (NKJV)

Last week my family had a reunion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my parents. My sister and three brothers and their families all journeyed to Montana for this gala event. Karen, my big sister, spent two days decorating the perfect cake with fondant. Reid, my big brother, figured out all the financial arrangements for the party. Scott, my younger brother, created a slide show masterpiece of the past 50 years, and led a special program for our Mom and Dad. George, my youngest brother, planned an amazing excursion over the Beartooth Highway and into Yellowstone. They were assisted by spouses, Lennie, Carmen, Kent and Cheryl, and grandchildren, Nathan, Emily, Bess, Kallie, Jacob and Kevin, who cooked, decorated, and jumped in wherever else was needed. What a happy occasion with my Mom and Dad!

During the family reunion, as I was having my daily TEA with Jesus, I came across these identical verses from Matthew and Mark: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” This caused me to imagine the great family reunion we will have some day in heaven with all believers. All who believe in Jesus will be there and be my brother and sister and mother. It is the desire of my heart that all my earthly family know Jesus, so they will be there with me. And it is the joy of my heart to count all believers as my heavenly family.

I believe all Jesus’ promises. He says that He is coming soon (Revelation 3:11). He says we should be ready (Matthew 24:44). He says we will meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). He says we will have eternal life with Him (John 3:16).

So, let’s get ready for Jesus’ Family Reunion in heaven by digging into God’s Word and having TEA with Jesus each day…

Thank Him for all your earthly blessings and the promise of heaven (Psalm 136:3)
Exalt Him for being your Savior (Psalm 145:3)
Admit your sins and be washed and ready for the reunion (Psalm 19:12)
Call – discern God’s call for you and make plans for the trip (Micah 6:8)
Understand your story and tell others the Good News (Luke 2:30-32)
Promises – claim God’s promise of heaven and strength for each day (John 5:24)
Petition – pour out your heart to Jesus of all your worries until He comes (Psalm 62:8)

and let’s meet at that BIG family reunion in heaven!!!

Grace Alone

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)

Grace. My middle name is Grace. Our daughter Kallie’s middle name is Grace. We were both born on Tuesday. There is an old poem that says, “Tuesday’s child is full of grace.” I often thought that was why my parents signed me up for ballet lessons as a child, so that I would learn to be full of grace. Instead of doing clumsy tricks, like jumping off the coffee table and breaking my ankle!

But then I grew up and found out what grace is all about. Grace is when God gives me something I don’t deserve, like forgiveness and eternal life with Him in heaven. Mercy is when God doesn’t give me what I do deserve, like punishment in hell and a life without Him. When explaining this to kids I say, grace is when your mom gives you a cookie even though you were bad. Mercy is when your dad doesn’t give you a spanking, even though you were naughty. I am so thankful for God’s grace and mercy.

Yesterday at church we sang the song “Grace Alone.” At that moment I was praying for our daughter Kallie Grace who was flying somewhere over the Pacific Ocean to Guam. I knew God’s Grace was just what I needed… His grace to hear and answer my prayers, His grace to comfort me if His plan didn’t fit my prayers, His grace to hold me close today and always.
These are the words we sang…

 Every promise we can make
Every prayer and step of faith
Every difference we can make
Is only by His grace.
Every mountain we will climb
Every ray of hope we shine
Every blessing left behind
Is only by His grace

Grace alone Which God supplies
Strength unknown He will provide
Christ in us, our cornerstone
We will go  forth in grace alone.

Every soul we long to reach
Every heart we hope to teach
Everywhere we share His peace
Is only by His grace.
Every loving word we say
Every tear we wipe away
Every sorrow turned to praise
Is only by His grace.

Grace alone Which God supplies
Strength unknown He will provide
Christ in us, our cornerstone
We will go  forth in grace alone.

©1998 Maranatha! Music.
Words and Music by Scott Wesley Brown, Jeff Nelson

And Kallie made it safely to Guam. Thank you, Jesus.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6lhilgWXIE&feature=related

My First TEA Party

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

How sweet are Your Words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103 (NIV)

“May we please have a tea party, Grandma!”

I remember my first tea party. It was around the time of my 5th birthday. My family had traveled in a VW bus, all the way from our home in Iowa to my grandparents’ home in Hemet, California. My California cousins came over to visit. My cousin Kimberly, who was close to my age, was able to visit Grandma more often than I did, of course. I think it was her idea for the tea party. Grandma had a little china tea set and a little table for us. Kimberly, my sister Karen, and I all sat around the table to sip “tea.” The “tea” was sugar water my grandma had mixed especially for us. How sweet it did taste!

“Thank you, Grandma! We love you!”

Why of all the sweets of childhood can I still https://www.ncmh.info/xanax-alprazolam-anxiety-panic-disorder/ taste that sugary tea on my tongue? Was it more than just a special moment in time?

“May I please have more of that sweet tea?”

Yes! There is a a sweet TEA CUPP and a special moment waiting for each of us every day… A TEA date with the Lord, and He has the sweetest TEA of all. I encourage you to sit down with Jesus today for a TEA CUPP prayer. You will find His TEA sweet, His Word a treat, and His Love complete.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

By them is Your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:9-11 (NIV)

Ten Maidens

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning…You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Luke 12:35, 40 (NIV)

Many of you know the story in Matthew 25 about the ten maidens. Five were wise and five were foolish. They were all supposed to trim their lamps and await the bridegroom. Five had oil in their lamps and five did not. When the bridegroom came, the five foolish maidens were trying to buy oil and missed Him. Jesus tells us in verse 13 (NIV), “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Isn’t it sad to read what He said to the foolish maidens? “I do not know you.” Oh, how heart-breaking to not enter the kingdom of heaven for all eternity. Why didn’t Jesus know them? Had they not given their hearts to Him? Had they not spent time with Him, reading His Word and praying? I would want to share my oil with them, but Jesus says, “I do not know them.”

Jesus asks in Luke 18:8 (NIV), “…When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Oh, I want to be like the five wise maidens, keeping my lamp full of oil and ready for Jesus coming. I need to share my oil now with others before He comes. Perhaps my lamp is my TEA CUPP, and the oil is God’s Word. Each day during my quiet time when I drink of His Word, I am filling my TEA CUPP inside me. When I pray for others and tell them about Jesus, I am sharing oil now, before it is too late. And when He comes, Jesus and I will be like old friends. He will say, “Well done,” for we have enjoyed a cup of tea together every day.

Matthew 25:1-13 (GW)

A Story About Ten Bridesmaids

¹“When the end comes, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids. They took their oil lamps and went to meet the groom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³The foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they didn’t take any extra oil. ⁴The wise bridesmaids, however, took along extra oil for their lamps. ⁵Since the groom was late, all the bridesmaids became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight someone shouted, ‘The groom is here! Come to meet him!’ ⁷Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.

⁸“The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

⁹“But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘We can’t do that. There won’t be enough for both of us. Go! Find someone to sell you some oil.’

¹⁰“While they were buying oil, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went with him into the wedding hall, and the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the other bridesmaids arrived and said, ‘Sir, sir, open the door for us!’

¹²“But he answered them, ‘I don’t even know who you are!’

¹³“So stay awake, because you don’t know the day or the hour.

Make it a Date!

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 2 Timothy 1:3 (NIV)

Today I’m issuing you a challenge to make a daily date with Jesus. When will you have your next TEA CUPP time with the Lord? Write it on your day-planner. Enter it in your Blackberry. Send yourself a text message. Write down…

1) Your next TEA CUPP time with God – make it a date!
2) A favorite Bible verse you would like to use in prayer.
3) And on a book mark (a folded sheet of paper works great!), list some people & situations you want to talk to God about at your TEA CUPP time.

Make a date with Jesus every day and you will be blessed!

Something Far Better

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Something Far Better

My favorite devotion book to begin my TEA CUPP time each morning is Our Daily Bread. There is a link in the left side-bar where you can read today’s devotion from Our Daily Bread. Above is a link to a devotion from 2002. Often when I especially like a devotion, I will put a star by it or rip it out of the book and save it for later. This devotion is one of those.

“Something Far Better” from Our Daily Bread tells the story of a man who ordered items from a mail-order catalog…I won’t tell you more, because I want you to read it for yourself. Just know that “Something Far Better” than what we can ask or imagine, is what we should petition the King of kings for each day:

“A man who lived far out in the country bought his clothing from a mail-order catalog. At the bottom of the printed order form he noticed this statement: “If we do not have the article you ordered in stock, may we substitute?”

The first time that he wrote “yes,” they sent him something that was worth double the price of the article he had requested. The company explained, “We are sorry we do not have the article in stock which you ordered. We are sending you something better at our expense.”

After that, the man said he always printed out much more boldly the word “yes” at the bottom of the order https://www.ncmh.info/klonopin-clonazepam-medication/ blank. He knew he would not be disappointed by the substitution.

So too, when we pray to God, it is good to tell Him that we are quite willing to let Him take our weak prayers and answer them according to His will. Too often we pray and do not see our requests answered because we selfishly “ask amiss” (James 4:3). Instead, we need to examine the motives of our hearts and trust Him to give us exactly what we need. We can be sure that when we do He will send us something far better, yes, “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).” —Henry G. Bosch

As we lift up our petitions to God each day, we might find ourselves disappointed that we don’t always get what we want. This has happened to me several times and I still get sad before I remember that God has a better plan, even though I might not like it or understand it at the time. Let’s all work to trust that what God has planned is “Something Far Better.’

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

National Day of Prayer

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

http://nationaldayofprayer.org/

Hello friends,

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. This day is set aside to remind us to pray for our country, our elected leaders, our armed forces, our schools, our churches and all we hold dear. Check out the above website for more information or to find an event near you. This is an opportunity to join with other Christians to petition our Father in heaven.

As you pray for our country, perhaps some of these verses from God’s Word will be helpful…

May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us. 1 Kings 8:57 (NIV)

“Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to Your holy Name,
that we may glory in Your praise.” 1 Chronicles 16:35 (NIV) & Psalm 106:47 (NIV)

Give ear, O God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your Name.” Daniel 9:18-18 (NIV)

O LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for You.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. Revelation 22:21 (NIV)

Happy Easter

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

Happy Easter friends! I took the day off to attend church and be with my family. I hope you had a blessed day, too. If you missed church, you can hear the sermon from my church on this website:

Homepage_Main

God’s Holy Spirit was pointing hearts to Jesus through Pastor Bryan’s message today.
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

New International Version (NIV)

How I got started with daily prayers

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

About 16 years ago, I was blessed to be home with our two small children while my husband worked a wonderful nature center job that didn’t pay much at all. At this same time several of our friends were having babies. I wanted to send them special gifts, but we didn’t have any money. I decided I could give them the gift of prayer. I wrote a poem and sent it to each one, but wanted to be certain I had really prayed.

A friend shared a “Focus on the Family” magazine with me. It had an article by Becky Tirabassi on prayer. Becky uses the technique of journaling her prayers. I loved it! Now I could write my prayers and be certain I had prayed for these babies. My list grew from babies, to family, to many other needs as the months and years went by. After our third child was born (a seven year prayer answered), I was reading my Bible and underlining verses. As I nursed my sweet baby, I used those underlined verses to pray. Soon God showed me how to categorize the verses, and My TEA CUPP Prayers were born.

My Tea time with God begins each day by reading a devotion from “Our Daily Bread,” and reading my Bible. I give God the first opportunity to speak as I dig into His Word.

Before I read, I pray Psalm 119:18 (NIV) …

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

You can use a One Year Bible or any Bible, just reading 3 chapters a day and 5 chapters on Sundays, you can read the whole Bible in a year. After my Bible time, I pull out my journal and begin to write my prayers for the day.

My first prayers are those of THANKS. I’ll write about that next.

New International Version (NIV)